Elliot's Home!

It's hard to believe that, after two seemingly very long years, Elliot has finally returned home! Here are a few of the first shots of him as he arrived at the airport to meet his parents, his sister Alyssa, and his grandparents Cliff and Darla Munson. His brother Keith, sister-in-law Kim and her family, and new niece Addie will arrive over the weekend. The Adair house will be a very full and happy place.

Elliot's August 13 email

Here's the latest - and FINAL! - email from Elliot. We'll see him this Thursday when he returns home from Oklahoma. Again, he and Carlton Reininger will speak this coming Sunday, August 19, at church in Newhall. Everyone is welcome and invited. Here are the details. And here's Elliot's final message home.

Wow, I can't believe that this really is the last week. I have loved my mission so much. I have learned so much and grown a lot, and I love the people here. I can't believe it's been a couple days longer than 2 years now that I entered the MTC. You never think at the beginning that it'll end. You get to the middle and you practically can't remember life outside of the mission, like that's what you've always done and that's what you'll always do. Then you get to the end and it doesn't feel real. In the moment it goes by so fast, but looking back I can see all of my areas, all of the people I've met and taught, all of my companions, all of the great times and all of the challenges. I have no idea how it all got crammed into two years. It was like a lifetime of experiences on fast forward. I'm so grateful for all of it. It's definitely changed who I am for the better and I hope that I've been able to help some of God's children along the way.

It's definitely true that I have mixed emotions and feelings at this point, but I feel at this point I've done what was my duty and now's the time to go back and apply everything I've learned out here to normal life. I can't say that I'm sad, but I for sure will miss this. Oklahoma will always have a part of me. But I'm super happy and excited that I'll get to see y'all! I'm excited for what's to come and hope to make the most out of whatever life puts in front of me.

See y'all soon!

Love,

Elder Elliot

Faye Hansen - Ms. Senior Oklahoma

Here's a great video and NewsOK story about Faye Hansen, the reigning Ms. Senior Oklahoma from Calumet, Oklahoma, about 45 minutes northwest of Oklahoma City. Ms. Hansen, some 80 years young, won the competition in July by impressing the judges with her ragtime piano skills. She will compete for the national title in October in Atlantic City. She keeps her musical skills fresh by playing every Sunday at the First Christian Church in Calumet, and also plays at nursing homes and the Clinton Veterans Center in Clinton, one of Elliot's first areas.

Stories like this about good people like Ms. Hansen remind me why I've always loved Oklahoma. I'm glad Elliot has had the great experience of spending the last two years there. He'll be home Thursday!

One last picture of Carlton Reininger

As I posted Elliot's email and pictures on the blog yesterday, I realized that those were likely the last images we'd see of him before we see him at the airport next Thursday, August 16. And then I got a picture of Carlton Reininger from Argentina, who will return just one day before Elliot, and realized that would be the last picture of Carlton as well. We've featured Carlton on the blog several times. He and Elliot received their calls on the same day and opened them together, were in the MTC at the same time, will return one day apart, and will speak at the same church meeting on August 19 (details here). So we certainly have a soft spot in our hearts for Carlton. Here's the last picture of Carlton from Argentina, and we look forward to seeing him in person very soon.

Elliot's (and Carlton Reininger's) homecoming address at church

For those not on Facebook, here are the details of Elliot's homecoming address. Carlton Reininger will speak at the same meeting. Everyone is invited to come hear them speak and share their experiences on their return from two-year missions to Oklahoma (Elliot) and Argentina (Carlton).

• Where: Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 24915 Peachland Avenue, Newhall, California 91321 (map below)
• When: August 19, 2012, 1:00 p.m.
• Who: Everyone!

   
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Bible Video: "Sermon on the Mount: The Beatitudes"

 5 Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.

Matthew 5:1-16

Elliot's August 6 email and pictures

Here's the latest email from Elliot, along with four new pictures, including two that show the temperature in Oklahoma City. 120 at 1:38 p.m.! And 109 at 8:44 p.m.! It's a little toasty there. And this may be the last real email we get from Elliot. Next Monday, he'll only have two full days left in Oklahoma, so we may get a brief message, or maybe none at all.

Hola!

No I can't believe it's August mom! Isn't that wild? These weeks are starting to feel like days. This past week was very literally a blur to me. But very hot. I think God's turning up the refiner's fire for me here at the end of my mission haha.

Oklahoma's good! I hadn't heard anything about fires here [we posted about them on the blog, here and here], but I did definitely smell smoke outside when we played tennis this morning for our work out. But I'm fine. We really had a good and eventful week. Probably the highlight of all of it was when the Hermanas [sister missionaries] had a baptism on Saturday. His name's Santiago and I'll be sure to attach a picture. He actually asked me to confirm him which was a way cool experience. Sometime's its intense to see how much opposition is thrown at people right before they get baptized. He definitely saw a lot of it these past few weeks but he stayed strong and he was so happy. It was great.

Sounds good about the homecoming talk. It's true that I've had to wing quite a few talks and lessons over these past two years, but I'm definitely going to make sure I'm ready for this one. And I saw that you asked about my favorite hymn - I like Come, Follow Me [link to music player app].

Well have a great week! The first picture is Santiago with the district. The next picture is of me and my district after my last district meeting, mourning my passing from the mission life to the next life. Classic. Then we got a few examples of how incredibly hot it was this past week.

I love y'all!

Elder Elliot

Mormon Messages: "The Value of a Full-time Mission"

Elliot has just ten days until he returns from his two-year mission to Oklahoma. We have seen him change and grow over the past two years, as the experiences he has had as a full-time missionary have helped to shape him into the man he is today.

Serving a mission is unquestionably a life-changing experience, as the young European men and women featured in this video will soon learn. They share their thoughts as they prepare for their own missions, and express the same excitement, nervousness and anxiety that all aspiring missionaries must feel. Enjoy the video.

Updates on Oklahoma wildfires

Updating yesterday's story on the blog, here are additional news reports from Sunday morning about the Oklahoma wildfires. Certain of the fires are not too far from Oklahoma City, but they are not near Elliot's area and there has been no word from the mission office.






NewsOn6.com - Tulsa, OK - News, Weather, Video and Sports - KOTV.com |

Wildfires raging in Oklahoma

Wildfires that began Thursday and Friday continue to rage across central and western Oklahoma, as temperatures have exceeded 100 degrees for 19 consecutive days. It reminds me of my experience in the late 1990s as I attempted to drive to Oklahoma City from Ponca City in northern Oklahoma. I had to detour nearly to Tulsa to avoid a wall of flame that stretched for many miles across the central part of the state. High temperatures and drought conditions have created ideal conditions for these fires.

Several pictures, news stories and videos are posted below. We've heard nothing from Elliot's mission office but will post again if we do. Based on the news reports we have seen, the area where Elliot is currently assigned does not appear to have been affected.

Dozens of homes destroyed in Oklahoma wildfires

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Fires destroy houses across the state Friday



Oklahoma wildfires: Homes burned, residents evacuate as more than a dozen fires burn in Oklahoma